I think this graph is neat, because it shows a long history of solar angle as the year marches on. As you can tell, we’re not driving a lot right now, though. If we were moving in latitude, you’d see the solar angle deviate from the seasonal curve. If we were moving in longitude, you’d […]
solar
Deep battery discharge – hot and cloudy.
I thought this graph might be of interest to those who want to see what happens when you run a large Nissan leaf pack down to zero state of charge. (SOC) It’s been consistently 90 degrees during the day and still about 75-80 at night, the last few days have been cloudy, I left the […]
Clean vs Dirty Solar Panels
I washed my solar panels for the first time in a few months. Here’s the difference on two nearly identical solar days.
Skooliepalooza 2020 Solar Discussion
Here’s the slide deck for the presentation. I’ll be presenting at 3:00 PM MST on January 26, 2020 right about here:
Las Vegas, Nevada to Utah
We loaded up and hit the open road headed for Utah. Took awhile to leave since he had to find a truck stop and check the tire pressure. The monitor he installed indicated 80psi and it is supposed to be 100. The hand held radios were not acting right so we tried to fix it. […]
Completed Lithium Battery Overview
25kWh of total capacity. Charge and discharge limits fence this to 19kW of usable capacity with an expected lifetime of 14-18 years before replacement of cells is necessary. 3kVA in split phase. So about 6kW total outputish. Recharges via 50 AMP RV connection or 2.5kW of roof solar. Remote monitoring via cellular data with packet radio fallback. Weighs about […]
Air Conditioner Install
This was another “big moment” for the bus. The primary reason for the enormous battery is to be able to power everything without care, but also operate the air conditioner for many hours after solar harvest has stopped for the night. The location shown here was just a big open hole in the engine bay, […]
Solar Panel Farings
I was planning on installing panel farings to keep the wind away. I’m pretty sure that strong side wind loads could behave as if entering a venturi and damage the panels with overpressure. Also it won’t look as much like a space ship.
Electrical Cabinet Commissioning
So as it sits at this point, the electrical system is fully functional. In this photo all the major components are hooked up and programmed. I had gotten a good day’s worth of solar, shore power is functional, and all the circuits in the bus are energized. I’m pleased with the arrangement of equipment. If […]
Solar Interconnect Panel
The solar interconnect panel was built next, which provided the critical connection from the panels installed a little while ago. The panel provides electrical safety isolation for the 150VDC potential coming from the roof. The roof panels are wired in a 4S2P arrangement. Each panel with an open circuit voltage of about 42 volts. Inside […]